Botaby engine



Jan. 27, 1931.4 F, E. WEL-CH 1,790,561

ROTARY ENGINE AFil-ed Sept. 28. 19.27 5 Sheets-SheetI 2 INVENTOR FPI/VIE; /IEZ ATTORNEY Jan. 2.7, 1931.l 'v F, EYWLCH ,79,J56l I ROTARY ENGINE.

Filedjsepf. 2g'. 1927 v 5 hgts-sneet s Jan. 27, 1931.

F. E. wl-:LcH

ROTARY ENGINE vFiled sept. 28, 1927 5 Sheets-Shea*I 4 ATTORNEY- .Jim1A 7, 1931. EEWELCH v1,790,561

ROTARY ENGINE v Fil sept. ze.- 1927 5 sneewir-lmet` A5'.-

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INVENTORI HPA/V4 5 WFM/f Patented Jan. 27, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK E. WELCH, F ANN ARBR, MICHIGAN ROTARY. ENGINE Application filed September 28, 1927. Seria1 No. 222,577.

and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rotary enygine constructed in accordance with my in- 20 vention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of thev same;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the invention; 25

on line lf-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view .taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a detail scctionaljview taken on 30 line 6 5 of Figure 5; v

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective of the ring gear embodied in the invention;

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view of a modified embodiment of theinvention CIJ away of a second modified embodiment of the invention; l A

Figure is a fragmentary vertical'sectional view taken on line 10-10 of Figure 9; Figure V1l is a similar Aview taken online 'l1-11 of Figure 9; and i Figure 12 is a fragmentary perspective of the ring gear embodied in this form of the invention.

Referring to the invention in detail acircular two-part casing is designated at 5 which is formed with a piston chamber 6 circular, in cross section, having registering ears 7 at spaced intervals receiving removable 50 fastenings 8 for securing the casmg parts or Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken sections together. Upon its lower side the casing is formed with a base 9 for supporting lthe former in a vertical position.

At its highest point the casing is formed with a transversely extending rectangular compartment 10 having communication with the piston chamber, and operating in this compartmentk are oppositely movable cooperating abutments 11, the latter being movable to positions to extend across the piston chamber to severcommunication between the latter and the compartment, and to positions at Vopposite sides of the piston chamber at predetermined times.

Arranged at opposite sides of the comparal ment and extending horizontally therefrom are plates 12 which are secured at their inner ends to the compartment by removable fastenings 13. A vertical extension 14 having a guide opening 15 is formed with the outer end of each of the plates 12 and slidably receives longitudinally movable horizontal rods 16 projecting from the abutments 11, the latter` passing through stuffing boxes 17 formed with the outer ends of the compartment.- Received onl theV stems 16 and bearing against shoulders 18 thereon and the vextensions 14 are expansible coil springs 19 which normally urge the stems and their abut ments towards each other.

Revoluble between the casing sections and at a point in close proximity to thefpiston chamber, is an internal ring gear 20 attached to the periphery of which is a circular piston Figure 9 is an elevatio-n'with parts broken 21 snugly received and 4revoluble in the'pisf ton chamber. Disposed upon opposite sides of the ring gear are wear rings'22 which are secured by means of fastenings 23 passing transversely through thering gear.

A central driving gear 24. is received within the casing and fixed to a power shaft I25 passthat upon rotation of the ring gear incident to the actuation of the piston, the gears 27 revolve about the shaft 28 to rotate the latter.

In order to prevent lateral movement of vthe ring gear the inner edges of the rings 22 ing cireuinfereiitially thereof at its outerV edge, is acani surface 33 against which vertical rollers 34, carried bythe rods or stem i6, engage. These rollers 34 vare revoluble upon vvertically disposed bolts 35 carried by the stems or rod 16 intermediate their ends. lt ivill be observed thatV the coil springs 19, normally urging the ahutments ll towards each other, resiliently hold the rollers in coiitact with the outer' faces of the disks so that upon eachrevolutioii of the disks the .cam surfaces will engage the rollers and shift the stems 1G longi tudinally7V in opposite directions to movethe abiitiiients to the oppi 'te f ends of the chamber l0, as illustrated in ure 3.'

A'main steam pressure supply pipe 3G is providedhaving branch intake pipes 3T and 38 which communicate with the piston chambei'. Exhaust pipes 4() and 4l lead from exhaust rport-s 48 in the piston chamber Alocated to one side of the'branch pipes 3T andv 38.

Control valves 44 are provided in each of Y chaiiiber and exhaust therefroiii.

- closed,

` drive shaft 6 passes. l revoluble in the casing and iixed to each of .these ring gears is a piston S movable in the the branch pipes and 3 8 and exhaust pipes 40 and 41. Normally one set of intake and exhaust'pipes are inoperative ivliiletlie other set is open to allow steam to enter the piston lloivever, when is desired to rotate the piston in a counter clockwise direction, lthe second set' of'intake and exhaust pipes are rendered operative While the other set is renderedinoperative. l n.

Vln Figure 8 a multiple typeturbiiie is disln this instance a pair of parallel casings 5 is provided through which a. single A ring gea-r "i" is piston chamber of each casing. A

Extending transversely at the top4 of the casiiigs :and projecting beyond the saine isa Achan'ibe'r 9 identical to the chamber il, but

of greater length than the latter. Slidable abutn'ients lO corresponding to abutments 'l1 are Sldable inthe casing in the chamber,

and are adapted to extend across the piston chamber.

lVith this modified embodiment of the in-y vention a inodiiied abutment actuating disk is employed at each end of the shaft comprising a pair of spaced circular vplates ll integrally connected at their centers by a hub 1Q which revoluble on the drive shaft. A cam surface i3 is formed upon the outer face of the innermost plate 11', at its outer edge, that part of the outermost plate directly opposed to the cam surface is bulged or .offset laterally as at 14, which is of the same shape cross sectionally as the cam surface', and vwith the latter provides a cam groove l5.

Y 'lhe rollers 84 movable with the abutments are disposed between the plates of each disk and move into'the cam grooves the abutinents to the opposite ends of the compartment. l

To rotate the disks the inner face of each of theiiinerinost plates are formed with internal gear teeth lo', vwhich mesh with gears lT supported on shafts l1S passing through the casings 5, aiid'iixed to lone of theplu-i rality of meshing gears i9 in each casing.

1n Figures 9 to 1Q, inclusive, another inodijhcatlon fof the invention is disclosed. ln

this instance the casing 5 formed withy parallel spaced annular `flanges 44 at its outer edge and rotatable bet-Ween these. flanges 'is an exterio-rly toothed ring gear 4 5 to the inner face of which a right angularly extending piston 46 is attached, the latter being ar ranged ivithin the v,casing 5.

Equidistantly spacedpairs of bearingsV 47 radiate Afrom the ,casing 5 in each Ipair of which a shaft 48 is journalled. drivefelement 49 is fixed to rotate with any one or all K of these shafts 48.` Ai gear 5,0 disposed between each pair of bearings V4'( is fixed to'eachV of the sha'lts and v meshes with the teethv of the ring gear gl 5 As illustrated in Figure l() the ring gear and gears 50 have rolling lcontact to retain the ring gear in central positionby means of coacting annuli 29 and disks y3l, will be seen that upon rotation of the ring gear incident to the movement of the piston 46 `iii tliecasiiig the gears 50 with their `shafts Will be rotated.

To rotate the disk 32 a horizontally disposed shaft 51 journalled in abearing 52 forii'ied'aiid extending at right an glesto alatformed upon one `side This shaft 5l eral enlargement 53 of the casing 5 is pr idee. carries pinions 53 at its opposite ends, one of which isengaged by the ring gear and the other by an idler gear 54 journalled on a laterally projecting shaft 55 journalled inthe .ei'ilargement 52?. Circumferential gear teeth 5.6 are formed on the periphery of the disk 32 which areengaged by the idler gear 54.

ii will be @terminal tiene; 3:25 wat@ .tiene from,

rotated threilsh the .driving @911e the ring gear and will rotate this disk for the purpose of actuating the abutments referred to in connection with the ot-her embodiments of the invention. v

As illustrated in Figure 9 the casing 5 is circular and disposed Within the confines of this casing is a spider 57 Whose arms are connected with the casing and at their inner ends define bearings 58 for the reception of the shaft 25 for the disk 32.

Operation As the operation of all embodiments of the invention are identical, reference to Figure l only, is made. The abutments 17 being disposed in abutting relation across the piston chamber, and one set of intake and exhaust pipes being in operation, steam pressure is admitted to the piston chamber between the abutments and piston impelling the latter around the piston chamber. As the piston passes the exhaust port, steam pressure eX haust therefrom to the atmosphere or back to the generator, as desired. As the piston approaches the abutments, the latter separate by reason of the cam surfaces 33 engaging the rollers 34 and permits the piston to pass for the next revolution. lVhen the piston passes through the chamber 11 the cam surfaces of the disks Will have passed beyond the rollers, permitting the expansible springs 14 to function to return the abutments to abutting relation. It will be understood that any suitable valve mechanism may be provided for opening and closing the intake and exhaust pipes to control the supply and exhaust of steam to the casing.

What is claimed is:

l. ln a rotary engine a casing of circular cross section Whose sidewalls terminate in spaced parallel annular flanges at their outer edges, an annulus disposed between the flanges and guided for rotary movement and having teeth upon its outer face, a piston attached to the inner face of the annulus andV arranged in the casing, and a plurality of radially disposed gears supported from the casing and enga ging the teeth of the annulus, the gears serving to hold the annulus against radial displacement and as a medium for takarranged in the casing, a plurality of radiallyY disposed gears supported from the casing and engaging the teeth of the annulus, the gears serving to hold the annulus against radial displacement and as a medium for taking power from the annulus, circular plates secured to the opposite faces of the annulus and projecting beyond the teeth thereof, and a l pair of circular plates attached to the oppo- 

